Aging is an inevitable progression of life. However, with the advance of anti-aging medicine and science, certain aging signs may be lessened or delayed. In the U.S., the population is aging, with more than 10% of the population now 65 years of age or older. This percentage is set to increase as the “baby boomer” generation enters retirement.
Aging is a multi-factor process. Oxidative stress is recognized as a primary cause in aging. Oxidative stress reflects an imbalance between the systemic manifestation of reactive oxygen species and a biological system's ability to readily detoxify the reactive intermediates or to repair the resulting damage. When there is an imbalance of the normal redox state of cells, excessive presence of peroxides and free radicals may damage all components of cells.
The anti-aging market is forecasted to reach $290 billion by 2015. Anti-aging products come in a variety of forms, with skin care products, which seek to eliminate the most prominent and visible signs of age, as the most popular line of products. In this market, herb-based, natural products are strongly favored. However, marketing of these products does face skepticism and conflicting clinical research results.
In the anti-aging skin care area, skin firming, reduction of “crow's feet,” skin moisturizing, and discoloration reduction are desirable effects. Various ingredients derived naturally or synthetically are sought for their ability to achieve the above effects. Most ingredients known for their anti-oxidant properties are beneficial in the anti-aging industry. In particular, retinoids, forms of vitamin A, are useful in skin firming.
Vitamin A regulates keratinization to improve skin's texture, firmness, and smoothness. Vitamin A esters convert to retinoic acid and provide anti-aging, anti-oxidant benefits. Retinoic acids provide these benefits by stimulating production of epidermal protein, which increases skin thickness and elasticity.
Hyaluronic acid is another popular component in the anti-aging cosmetic industry. Hyaluronic acid may be found in the dermis skin layer and is responsible for moisturizing and firming the skin. When used on the skin, hyaluronic acid acts to hold moisture to the skin's surface. For dry and aging skin, moisture retention is crucial in giving the skin a young, firm appearance.
While various anti-aging cosmetic products are available, certain components used in anti-aging cosmetics have inherent limitations. Tretinoin, a carboxylic acid form of vitamin A, is shown to reduce wrinkles but also has many side effects. While treating photoaging in skin by increasing production of mast cells in the dermis, tretinoin may cause redness, scaling, itching, and burning in sensitive subjects. This is due to its high acidity.
Other anti-aging cosmetic products may contain mineral oil and petrolatum. While petrolatum is popular in skin care as it hastens skin healing and retains moisture on the skin's surface, it also is greasy and does not contribute to skin firming. Mineral oil is similar to petrolatum in its origin. Apart from retaining some moisture, mineral oil does little by way of anti-aging properties.
Polyunsaturated fatty acids (omega-6 and omega-3) are essential to skin health. Metabolism of linoleic acid and alpha-linoleic acid is limited in the skin. Topical and oral supplementations of essential fatty acids are effective means to supply these essential fatty acids to the skin. Some anti-aging cosmetic products do not include these important polyunsaturated fatty acids.
Essential fatty acids (EFAs) found in hemp oil act as moisturizers to trap moisture on the skin. Moreover, the fatty acids ratio in hemp oil closely matches the human skin composition and body, which is 3:1 ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 essential fatty acids. EFAs are proven to play a preventive role in skin aging and a healthy moisture balance for the skin.
Omega fatty acids are a group of unsaturated fatty acids considered to be important to physiological development in mammals. In particular, omega-3 fatty acids are considered to be vital for normal metabolism. These fatty acids receive their names based on the location of the first double bond from the tail end (omega end) of the carbon chain.
Omega-3 fatty acids are a group of three (3) fatty acids called α-linolenic acid (ALA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Mammals have limited ability to synthesize omega-3 fatty acids. Given their importance in metabolism, mammals must consume omega-3 fatty acids to ensure normal metabolism.
Omega-6 fatty acids are a family of unsaturated fatty acids that have in common a carbon-carbon double bond in the n-6 position. Omega-6 fatty acids are considered to be important to a mammal's diet. The relative ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids in Western diet is about 10:1 and up to 30:1. An excessive ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids may interfere with omega-3 activity, storage, and conversion to eicosanoid precursors.
The role of fatty acids in skin health is prominent. In a series of studies, George and Mildred Burr determined that rats consuming a no-fat diet developed visible skin abnormalities and heightened water loss on skin. In humans, skin abnormalities and transdermal water loss are observed with essential fatty acid deficiency.
Plants in the cannabis genus include Cannabis sativa, Cannabis ruderalis, and Cannabis indicia. In Asia, cannabis plants have long been used for medicinal purposes. Hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) is a plant with many industrial applications including fiber, oil, fabric, paper, and construction materials.
In the West, cannabis is mainly cultivated for recreational uses. Consequently, most cannabis plants in the West are Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)-rich. Hemp, on the other hand, is not rich in THC. Hemp finished products are imported and sold legally in the United States because of this. Hemp products sold in the United States include fiber, jewelry, hemp oil, hemp protein, hemp seeds, and other products derived from the hemp plant.
Hemp oil is produced by cold pressing of hemp seeds and hemp plant materials. Hemp seed is the seed of the plant Cannabis sativa L., which contains only trace amounts of THC. The mature stalk of the hemp plant may also be cold pressed for hemp oil. Hemp oil contains a ratio of approximately 3:1, omega-6 fatty acids:omega-3 fatty acids. Hemp oil is sold legally in the United States and usually contains less than 10 ppm of THC.
Cannabinoids are a family of compounds found in the cannabis plant. The prominent compounds among the cannabinoids are Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), cannabidiol (CBD), cannabichromene (CBC), cannabigerol (CBG), cannabidivarin (CBDV), among other compounds. There are up to eighty five (85) known compounds in the cannabinoid family. While THC is known for its psychoactive characteristics, other cannabinoids such as CBD and CBC are not psychoactive.
The IUPAC nomenclature of THC is (−)-(6aR,10aR)-6,6,9-trimethyl-3-pentyl-6a,7,8,10a-tetrahydro-6H-benzo[c]chromen-1-ol. CBD's IUPAC nomenclature is 2-((1S,6S)-3-methyl-6-(prop-1-en-2-yl)cyclo-hex-2-enyl)-5-pentylbenzene-1,3-diol). CBC has the IUPAC nomenclature of 2-methyl-2-(4-methylpent-3-enyl)-7pentyl-5-chromenol. CBD is a natural constituent in hemp plants, as well as other plants in the cannabis genus. However, the CBD concentration in each cannabis plant depends on the strain.
Cannabidiol may be applied to healthy human volunteers at high doses, up to 700 mg/day, for a long period of time without toxicity or serious side effects (Consroe et al., Pharmacol. Biochem. Behav. 40:701-708, 1991; Cunha et al., Pharmacology 21:175-185, 1980).
U.S. Pat. No. 6,630,507 describes the use of cannabinoids, in particular cannabidiol, for the treatment of diseases associated with oxidative stress. Oxidative stress-associated diseases refer to pathological conditions that result at least in part from the production of or exposure to free radicals, particularly oxyradicals, or reactive oxygen species. The application of a free radical inhibitor, scavenger, or catalyst may provide detectable benefits by decreasing symptoms, increasing survival rate, or providing other detectable clinical benefits in treating or preventing the oxidative stress-associated diseases.
Cannabinoids in the above invention are reported to have antioxidant properties. Antioxidants act by scavenging biologically important reactive free radicals or other reactive oxygen species, or by preventing their formation, or by catalytically converting the free radicals or other reactive oxygen species to a less reactive species.
The combination of cannabinoids from natural sources and other components having anti-oxidative properties may give anti-aging results when used on human skin. The following invention aims to provide anti-aging cosmetic formulations with anti-oxidative properties from cannabinoids.